Derived from prehistoric sages living in ancient India some 6,000 years ago, Ayurveda, the medical system of India, is arguably the world's oldest medical tradition. This book translates the Eastern wisdom into terms and concepts Westerners can understand, and the author presents the text with both scholarship and compassion. He explains how Ayurveda can promote physical and mental health by targeting threats from acute and chronic stress, to contemporary disorders such as pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, coronary artery disease, and diabetes. Practical, user-friendly nutritional guidelines for maintaining health and addressing health imbalances are given. The centre of attention in Ayurveda is the person. The meaningfulness of a quality of life in the world is central. Living a quality life with others and in accord with nature - the environment at large - is emphasised.Health strategies are suggested for specific individual constitutional types, which can be used to prevent emotional distress, to treat illness, and to enhance living. Ayurveda has been handed down across millennia, virtually intact to the present day. It is a comprehensive way of living whose scope includes proactive health measures as well as integrated healing strategies for body, mind, and spirit.